In a groundbreaking ruling, the Minnesota Supreme Court affirmed a tax court decision requiring tax assessors to exclude the airport’s concession fees from rent-based valuations for property tax purposes. The case offers a flight plan to lower taxes at many of the nation’s transportation hubs and underscores the importance for all taxpayers to exclude business
Property Tax
Larkin Hoffman’s Real Estate and Construction Attorneys Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for 2021
Every year attorneys from Larkin Hoffman receive recognition for their efforts to assist in a variety of complex issues relating to land use and zoning, real estate, environmental regulation, construction, eminent domain and condemnation, and tax law. This year a number of the firm’s real estate and construction practice attorneys have been selected by their…

New Podcast Series: Land Use and Real Estate Issues Affected by the COVID-19 Crisis
Welcome to Larkin Hoffman’s new series of podcasts discussing issues affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Our senior attorneys will address corporate, employment, real estate, construction, franchise, bankruptcy, insurance, litigation, and other matters in this series. The podcasts are 15 minutes long and can be heard at your convenience. Over the next few weeks, there will…
How Will COVID-19 Affect Real Estate Values?
Those of us in the real estate practice—and particularly in areas concerning real estate valuation such as eminent domain and property tax appeals—are obviously quite concerned about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our clients’ property values as we all proceed through these very uncertain times. I think about two upcoming quick-take hearings that…
When to Consider a Property Tax Appeal
Developers, real estate investors and business owners are appropriately focused on creating profit and high rates of return. Managing property taxes may not be a terribly high priority. However, property taxes are usually the most significant real estate expense incurred by real estate users and have a direct impact on profitability and rates of return.…
How Does the Sale of a Property Affect Its Assessed Value?
We frequently get asked about how an assessment will change after an acquisition at a price higher than the assessed value. The answer of course is, it depends.
Assessors use sales ratio studies for the review and equalization of values. A sales ratio shows the relationship between the assessors Estimated Market Value (EMV) and the…
Meet Minnesota Tax Court’s Newest Judge: Tamar N. Gronvall
Governor Dayton appointed Tamar N. Gronvall to the Minnesota Tax Court for a six-year term, which began in January 2017 and will expire on January 2, 2023.
Before her appointment to the Tax Court, Ms. Gronvall was General Counsel in the Office of Legal Services at the Minnesota Department of Commerce, where she led a…
What happens with property taxes during a new development project?
Nick Halter and The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal have launched a new tool called Crane Watch (Business Journal Crane Watch) that tracks new developments of over $25 million in the Twin Cities. All of this new development presents the great question of what happens with the property taxes during a new development project?…
Do your commercial real estate taxes seem too high? Is it time to appeal?
Minnesota’s deadline to file an appeal for taxes payable in 2017 is April 30, 2017, which means it’s time for commercial property owners, tenants, managers, etc., to decide if a tax appeal is appropriate. This post answers a few questions that I am frequently asked.
- My taxes are really high, should I appeal?
Property…
A Bank Sale of the Subject Property can be the Best Indicator of Value for Property Tax Valuation
Real estate buyers who purchase property from banks sometimes get the property for a price that seems below market. Assessors frequently dismiss these sales as “bank sales” and therefore irrelevant for property tax valuation. However, these apparent discounts can be the result of actual distress or market influences, rather than because the bank was under…